Blood and Teeth
by EternalTags
Summary: "I keep you safe. It's what I do. It's what I've always done. I don't know how to do anything else. So some things have changed about me, but that. That will never change."
1. Chapter 1

* Pre-Rizzles and slight A/U that becomes more obvious later on. My first Rizzles fic! I've had this story brewing since Halloween, but haven't felt confident enough in my writing ability to actually write it out, let alone post it. I guess you can say it's an experiment. Give it a chance and please review! I have a good feeling about this one, and if you guys like it, or well, don't like it, please let me know so I can either get more chapters out, or just cut my losses and go back to lurking in the Rizzles section*

"_Rising with the sun has proven to be beneficial to your health, Jane. Studies show that exorcizing before you start your day makes you more energized, Jane. Imagine how much better you would feel if we started jogging before sunrise, JANE." Jesus, why do I let her drag me into her little health kicks?_  
Jane had grumbled under her breath as she laced up her running shoes early Friday morning. Was it even morning? She was pretty sure she could still consider it Thursday night. _"It's officially the next day as soon as it hits midnight, JANE. Last I checked there were not three 4:30's in one day, JAAAAANE"_  
She had enunciated each "Jane" with an overly sharp tug on her laces, before finishing up the knot and heading out the door to her car. Jane cranked the heater as high as it would go for the short drive to pick up Maura. Summer was making way for Autumn, and the chilly nights showed it. It was supposed to be hot later in the day, but for now it was cold enough to make her shiver.  
Jane was able to convince Maura to compromise at least a little bit. If Maura got to choose what ungodly hour they were going running, then Jane got to choose where they ran. She knew a place not too far that was a small wooded area with flat pathways trailing through the trees. It was near an upscale neighborhood, so it was well kept and maintained. There were a few trails to pick from, going anywhere from three to five miles long. She was not going to risk getting mugged or chased down in the still dark hours of the Boston city streets, so Maura could feel more energized as they were getting shanked.  
Leaving the car idling in Maura's driveway, Jane dragged her feet up the front steps and rang the doorbell. Maura opened the door, and was hardly surprised at Jane's over exuberant eye roll at her attire. While Maura was always stylish, it seemed she could never be satisfied with wearing simple workout clothes. While Jane had settled with long black sweatpants and a thin white long sleeve shirt, Maura went a little over the top wearing skin tight black and green leggings, practically covered with reflectors, and a matching over long top with sleeves that stretched past her wrists. And was that a? Yep. A hood. A small hood attached to the back that was no doubt added to reduce some pointless insignificant air resistance percentage.

Maura had only quirked an eyebrow, daring Jane to say something. Still half asleep, Jane only grunted what sounded like a good morning and turned to return to the warmth of the car.

"Do you have water in the car? I can grab a few bottles from the-"

"I got water in the trunk, let's just go get this over with so I can get back home in my _warm_ bed, and spend the rest of my Friday how I originally planned. _Sleeping_ and doing absolutely _nothing_ productive." Jane put the car into reverse and took off down the deserted street. "I haven't had a three day weekend in years and I'm gonna milk it for all its worth." Maura had to listen carefully, because Jane had not spoken above her usual morning grumble.

"I don't understand how you can just waste your time like that. You can get a lot done in one day. You could completely rearrange your apartment. You could teach Jo new tricks. You could clean out your fridge. God knows what you have growing in there by now."

"_Nothing. Productive. _All day."

"It's supposed to be a beautiful day, we could put together a picnic and bring Angela, Tommy and T.J. and have lunch in the Common."

"I lost interest at the mention of my mother."

"So you would be interested in having a picnic?"

"Mauraaaaaa, I just want to sleep the day away, we can do fun family activities tomorrow. You've already got me out here, just let me have my lazy day once we're done,_ please_." Maura just smiled and shook her head.

It was still dark when they reached the park and pulled into the rather small parking lot.

"What trail do you want to run today?" Maura asked as she stretched her leg on the trunk of Jane's car.

"There's a three and a half mile trail that loops through the middle of the woods. It's a gradual uphill for a while, then it sorta twists and turns downhill pretty quick as we come back around." Jane waited until Maura lifted her foot off of the trunk before reaching in and grabbing a water bottle for each of them.

It wasn't long after they had started jogging, that Maura had gotten an odd feeling of being watched. She didn't mention anything to Jane about it. It was just barely after 5:00 in the morning. There wouldn't be anyone following after them, let alone watching them as they jogged along the trail. She continued at her usual pace, putting the feeling at the back of her mind. Jane was a couple yards ahead of her, her stride being naturally longer. Maura was comforted by the occasional glance back to make sure she was okay.

However the feeling never went away. If anything, it got worse. They had reached the downhill point on the trail and had maybe one mile left in the trail. It was of little comfort. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her shoulder muscles tensed uncomfortably so. Jane was still a ways ahead, but Maura had reached the point of being so unsettled, she upped her pace to catch up. She was sure it was nothing, but being next to Jane had always made her feel safer.

Jane had noticed that the beat of Maura's feet hitting the trail had sped up and looked back over her shoulder. Maura's discomfort had begun to ebb the second she saw Jane's smirk. While she was closer, they were still a little over a yard apart but Maura was quickly gaining. It was when the smirk grew into an easy toothy grin that she realized how silly she was being. No one was watching them. Jane was the expert in the "gut feeling." If Jane's gut said they were safe, then they were. Even if someone was following them, Jane would keep them safe. She always has.

They were running even with each other now, and while they were both panting with exertion at this point, Maura felt like Jane was taking it a little too easy. She gave her a quick wink and laughed as Jane's grin was wiped from her face when Maura broke out into a sprint.

"Oh, you wanna race, huh?!" It didn't take long for Jane to not only catch up, but completely pass Maura and start running backwards so she can beam her perfect white smile in her direction. Maura's heart melted as they laughed in the early morning. The sky was turning a reddish purple as the sun began to peek over the horizon. The subtle lighting played with the shadows over Jane's face and the thin layer of sweat that was trickling down her hair line. Maura was in awe of how beautiful her friend was and welcomed the reminder of how lucky she was to have the brunette in her life.

Jane was still smiling as she suddenly lurched to her left. The perfect moment was shattered. The next thing she knew, Maura was picking up a fist sized rock and beating the head of the massive pale grey wolf that had its teeth ripping into the flesh at Jane's neck and shoulder.

Jane was glad Maura had forgone putting up her silly hood, and decided to leave her hair tied into a ponytail. The way her honey blonde hair swished with each stride caught the morning light and sent glimmers of every color into the space around her. The white of her smile was constant though. Jane loved that smile and loved that she had put it there. She couldn't help it when she felt that hers got just a little bit bigger. Her backwards step faltered a little bit as she heard the quick snapping of twigs to her right. She didn't even have a chance to look.

The wolf had dived out of the brush along the trail and threw itself at Jane's side, knocking her to the ground. Before they had even hit the dirt, the wolf had fit its entire mouth past Jane's shoulder and over her collar bone before sinking its teeth into muscle and bone with a sickening crunch. Jane had screamed as the huge canine gave its head a quick shake, snapping more bones and tearing muscle to shreds. Something deep in her chest tore. She couldn't breathe. The panic and shock was not allowing her to use her limbs as she had wished. Jane had tried to fit her legs beneath the beast and push it off, but it was too heavy and it had her pinned. The wolf was easily as long as she was tall and definitely weighed nearly two hundred pounds. All she could do was swivel her hips in attempt to throw the creature off and futilely punch with one arm in the general area of its head as she could feel wetness completely soak her side.

The pressure encasing her shoulder had loosened ever so slightly as she had heard a loud grunt and then a dull thud that had reverberated through the wolf. But the monster had tightened its grip once more with a ferocious snarl as it refused to move. Jane's vision started to blur and grow dark around the edges before she heard, what could only have been Maura, scream "LET HER GO!" Jane could feel the wolf's head jerk to the side as it yelped painfully before finally relenting and releasing her. The rustling of bushes and snapping of twigs sounded the beast's retreat.

Hands had cupped her face and turned her head to the side with the most gentle touch. Jane tried to focus. One hand was brushing her cheek. Another was prodding and pressing on her shoulder. At least she thought it was because one side felt more heavy than the other. She couldn't really feel anything right now besides the soft hand moving back and forth from her cheek to her neck. There was noise. It seemed familiar and so sad. It sounded like crying. Jane looked for the source of the sounds. Tried to talk and reassure. Such a beautiful voice should not be sobbing. The words caught in her throat behind a thick coppery wetness pushing its way out. The calming words became a painful round of coughing and choking. She didn't know if she was shaking, or if the hands holding her and clearing her airway were shaking, or both. It was probably both. The sobbing got louder, and she could make out a few words before the world went dark

"No, please, Jane, _please God, no_. Help is coming please Jane, just _please hold on_!"


	2. Chapter 2

*** I wasn't expecting such a quick response to this story to be honest. I felt like I owed it to you guys to get another (although a little shorter) chapter out there. It might be a while before the next update, maybe about five days. Just got off of my weekend and it's back to work! Expect an update by next Friday though! Hopefully it will be a bit longer and progress more into the plot line I have planned out, but hey, I guess we will see!***

_I__t was not possible for a wolf to be that size. There are no wolves in Massachusetts. Coyotes have been seen in the area. It's not possible for a coyote to be that size. Possibly an abandoned pet dog. Domesticated dogs do not get that big__._ Maura's mind was frantically trying to explain the sight before her as she brought the rock down on the head and neck of the creature time after time. It wasn't letting go. It seemed to grip Jane in its teeth even harder, intent on keeping its prey. She noticed Jane's movements have become more sluggish and she had stopped screaming. A new fear sunk deep in her gut. The fear of the wolf had passed, worry for Jane has turned into absolute terror. This monster was going to kill her. Jane was going to be taken from her. Jane was going to bleed to death. Jane was going to die.

The scream ripped from her throat echoed through the woods with every ounce of fear and desperation Maura possessed as she readjusted the rock in her hands and raised it above her head, "LET HER GO!"

She brought the rock down with both hands so the slightly pointed end struck the wolf just above its left eye. The beast finally released Jane as it yelped in pain and whipped its head back. The strike had broken the wolf's brow, causing it to collapse into its eye socket. Blinded, the wolf had run back into the brush from whence it came. It was out of sight within seconds. _Oh God, what- _

Maura's thought was cut off as she registered a scuffling noise behind her. As she turned, she nearly collapsed at the sight of Jane's broken form. Still flat on her back, Jane was struggling to push herself backwards away from the already departed threat of the wolf with her leg, but was otherwise immobile. Her legs were barely able to bring her to her friend's side before giving out and kneeling beside Jane's head. One hand reached to touch her cheek, practically begging for a response. Her eyes were open, but were blank and unseeing. Maura was unsure if it was actually Jane leaning her head into her touch or just her wishful thinking. Jane's breathing was shallow and harsh. Remembering she had left her phone in the car, she had fumbled for Jane's phone in her pockets, praying it was still functional, and by some miracle it was. As she held the phone to her ear with one hand, the other occupied itself with ripping the sleeve from Jane's shirt. _The Superior Thyroid artery, the Common, Internal and External Carotid artery-_

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

"This is Chief Medical Examiner, Doctor Maura Isles. I-I'm in the woods, at th-the Blue Hills reservation! A wolf, I-I think it was a wolf, it attacked my friend! My friend, Detective Jane Rizzoli Boston Homicide! It bit her neck and shoulder, _she's bleeding out, please you have to help."_ Maura's pleas had turned to sobs as she tried to speak through her tears. If she couldn't give the dispatcher the information she needed, she wouldn't be able to get the help Jane desperately needed in time. Maura had pressed the torn shirt sleeve to Jane's wounds, but the blood was still soaking through the makeshift bandage and was soaking her hand. She put the phone on speaker and placed it on the ground so she could use both hands in attempt to keep Jane's blood inside of her body.

"Okay, Dr. Isles," Maura could hear frantic typing in the background. "An air lift is on the way, and should be there in just a few minutes. Do you know where in the Blue Hills you are?"

"We t-took the three and a half mile trail, we were just going for a morning run, I don't- I can't remember what the was called! I-It's the one, the one that goes uphill for most of the trail then goes downhill for about a mile, we just started going downhill when _that thing_ jumped out of nowhere and i-it-it just _**attacked her."**_

"Where did the wolf go?"

"I hit it over the head with a rock, I think, I'm sure I managed to crush its brow bone and cause significant damage to its eye before it ran off."

"Dr. Isles, Is Jane still conscious?" The questions were asked so calmly, and Maura silently thanked that someone knew what to do, that someone was going to help. Jane was slightly shaking, the adrenaline was leaving her body and going into shock.

"S-she's still awake, but barely. She's lost a lot of blood, I think she's going into- _oh God."_ Jane's torso had lurched as blood was expelled from her mouth. She used one hand to tilt Jane's head to the side and used the other to swipe out the thick blood and spit from her friend's mouth.

Removing her hands from the wound on Jane's shoulder had moved the bandage and revealed the damage. _Crushing of the right clavicle and scapula, possibly damaging the Brachiocephalic, Subclavian and Internal Thoracic arteries. Obvious severe breaking of ribs one through four, puncturing the lung._ _Trapezius and Sternocleidomastoid muscles are torn to shreds-_

"Dr. Isles! Maura, are you still there?" Maura's eyes were ripped from Jane's wounds as she tried to focus on the dispatcher's questions.

"Yes- Yes I'm still here." She took a deep breath to calm herself as she noticed Jane's eyes were beginning to close. "No, please, Jane, _please God, no_. Help is coming please Jane, just _please hold on_!" Jane's eyes had fluttered slightly, like she was trying to do as Maura asked, but still, her eyelids shut, blocking Maura from seeing those same brown eyes she had gazed into for the last five years she has known the Detective. The eyes she had fallen in love with. Maura was gasping for air as the thought that she would never see those eyes again gripped her.

"Maura! Maura, what is happening?"

"She lost consciousness. She's still breathing, but barely. I-I think her lung was punctured by one of her ribs." Maura's vision was starting to tunnel and she was beginning to feel dizzy. All she could see was Jane's face, pale white with blood seeping from her mouth and shoulder, soaking into her shirt, her hair, the ground, staining red everything that was within reach.

"Keep talking to me Maura! The air lift is almost there Maura, but you have to keep Jane going until help arrives! I need you to take a second and breathe, okay? Take deep breaths and let them out slowly alright? Can you do that for me?" Maura knew what the dispatcher was doing. The woman on the phone knew Maura was going into shock and not breathing properly. She was trying to get the doctor's mind to focus less on her life falling apart underneath her hands, and more on the simple act of breathing. Maura recalled the recommended second ratio for calming breaths. As she resumed keeping pressure on Jane's wound, she inhaled deeply for seven seconds and let that same breath out over eleven more. Very quickly her head stopped spinning, but she kept her focus on Jane's face, looking for any sign of further distress.

"Okay, Maura you're doing good, just keep breathing like that. The helicopter should be there any second." True to her word, Maura could hear the loud thumping of helicopter blades and the breaking of tree branches above her. Hands belonging to at least two other people gently nudged her hands out of the way, covering Jane's shoulder with a massive amount of bandages. A third person had guided Maura a few steps back, just far enough to be out of the way, but still close enough to see Jane.

After the bandages were quickly secured, Jane's arm tied to her chest and her neck in a brace, she was swiftly lifted from below the shoulder blades and legs and carried off to the air stretcher. One of the hands that were gripping Maura's shoulders lowered to her back to guide her to the air lift as well. A sense of relief swept over her at the realization that they were allowing her to come with them.

Jane had miraculously held on the entire time she was in the helicopter. As soon as she was secured inside and the doors closed, the EMT's had begun a blood transfusion and an IV, all while continuing pressure on the wound. Maura's eyes never left Jane's face, hoping for just one more glimpse at those eyes. Jane was still the entire time. They arrived at the hospital in minutes, and Jane was whisked away in seconds of the doors opening again. A crowd of Nurses and Doctors were waiting on the roof and ran with the EMT's to the elevator, rushing Jane away to surgery. One of the EMT's had waited behind and helped guide Maura down from the helicopter. Completely drained of her energy, her legs had given out as soon as her feet hit the ground.

"Whoa there, It's gonna be alright, they're gonna fix her up, I'm sure." The EMT had caught her by the elbows to prevent her falling to the pavement. His attempt of reassurance fell on deaf ears. Maura knew the damage. The surgeons could make a mistake and further damage an artery, or they could miss a laceration, they might not even have to make a mistake in surgery. Jane's body had undergone a massive amount of trauma and stress, her heart could give out at any second

"Please let her be okay. She has to be okay." The last of the adrenaline had worn off and exhaustion had overtaken her.


	3. Chapter 3

***Sorry I disappeared there for a while. I lost motivation, and couldn't figure out how to bridge this huge gap that managed to form in the story line. Then work sucked, then moving sucked, then not sleeping sucked, then getting sick sucked, then not eating sucked and it all just sorta meshed into one big ball of sucky bull shit. But I'm back, and a little phrase inspired this chapter the other day. Not gonna lie, this is probably the cutest thing that I have ever written, and I just sort of sat there giggling at the fluff once I finished editing. Enjoy, and please review with any ideas you might have that I might be able to fit in somewhere along the line. I know it's a little slow going, but we'll get there I promise.***

Jane had nudged her front door closed with a foot after she had managed to shoo her overbearing mother out of her apartment, and locked it behind her. After she had let herself in using her "emergencies only" key while Jane had slept, Angela had cleaned her entire apartment, stuffed her fridge full of enough home cooked meals to last her the next month, and sorted out all of Jane's medication. The second Jane had woken up, her mother rushed into the bedroom and had started changing the sheets. It wasn't until she had run out of things to clean and had directed her fussing to the thick bandaging and sling on her daughters right arm and shoulder, that Jane had reminded her beloved mother of their arraignment and had sent her on her way.

She was released from the hospital only yesterday, after being forced to stay there by her mother and best friend for the last two weeks. Just long enough for her lung to fully heal, and her ribs to repair themselves enough to not bother her every time she took a breath. Her arm and shoulder were still in bad shape. Jane had an irritating few months of physical therapy ahead of her.

During her stay at the hospital, Jane could get rid of her mother when her hovering became irritating; however Maura was a different story. From the moment Jane had woken up from surgery, Maura was a permanent fixture in her room. When she had insisted that Maura didn't have to stay and she should go home, or go back to work, the anxiety on the doctor's face would quickly pull an insistence that the Doctor should stay from Jane's mouth. She supposed she didn't mind Maura's fussing so much.

Over the last fourteen days, she had been subjugated to a seemingly endless amount of shots, treatments, and antibiotics to fight off infection, rabies and a multitude of other possible diseases that can be found in a giant man eating wolf's mouth. Just about everyone from the precinct had stopped by for a visit and to hear for themselves about the wolf. They were all sorely disappointed however. Every time the wolf was brought up, Jane had noticed Maura's entire body tensing. Noticing her discomfort, Jane had given the same answer to everyone who asked. "It was a giant wolf, and it jumped from out of nowhere," and had left it at that.

When it came time to be discharged, an impressive passive aggressive spat between Maura and Angela had broken out over who would get to take care of Jane. Both persons were attempting to be nice while giving a list of reasons why they were better suited to take care of her. Quickly tiring of being spoken about as if she wasn't even there, Jane had pointed out that it was her non-dominant hand that was injured and it was secured quite well with the very obnoxious sling. Therefore, there was no reason she couldn't take care of herself at her own apartment. Expecting the protests, Jane had once again interrupted and had compromised with both women; Angela was allowed to come over to help cook and clean, while Maura was allowed to come over to help her change bandages and with her physical therapy exorcises, as long as they had called or texted beforehand.

Double checking her phone, she had confirmed her suspicions that she had no texts or missed calls from her mother. She did however, have one text from Maura. _'Well it's not like I expected any different. Not even out a full day out and both of them are fussing.'_

_-I hope you're awake, I know how much you move around in your sleep and I can only imagine the damage if you managed to turn yourself onto your injured side in the middle of the night._

Jane grinned as she tapped out a reply

_-Nah, I woke up maybe thirty minutes ago trying to subdue hurricane Angela. She managed to clean the whole place while I was asleep. She tried to do your job, so I kicked her out. _

Setting her phone on the counter, Jane had gone to get her pain meds the doctor had given her. She hated having to take them, but between the countless plates, staples, and screws they used to put her arm back together, and the stitched together skin and tendons, Jane knew that if she didn't stay on top of her med schedule she was going to be in a world of hurt that would only result in misery. She just wished they wouldn't make her as loopy as they did. After making sure she gave the small handful of pills her most disgusted glare, she managed to swallow them down with a glass of water.

Jane snatched up her phone as it buzzed.

_-I'm going off of the highly probable hypothesis that your mother didn't adhere to the agreement, and gave no prior notification before barging in in her typical "I'm your mother, if I don't fuss over you who will" fashion? Regardless, if she managed to get you to take your medication, I won't be too offended at her attempts to usurp my responsibilities._

If there was a way to smugly text, Jane came as close as you could get as she typed out her reply.

_-I'll have you know, I choked 'em down all on my own without having anyone pester me about it. If you wanted a chance to look at the bandages today, you have maybe twenty minutes before I go into great detail on the comfort of my own couch, and how soft Jo is._

Maura's response was almost immediate

_-I actually just left, I should be there in a few minutes. The only thing more difficult than treating a grumpy fussy Jane is a flailing drugged one. I'll be there soon._

Jane's stupid grin quickly soured when a certain stench wafted under her nose.

"Bl-guh-GOD, Jo! _REALLY?!"_ the small dog scratched at the door with a whimper. "Jeeze, you need to go so bad you gotta let loose your nasty dog farts all over the place? Sweet merciful-" pulling the neck of her shirt over her nose as she went, she opened every window before snapping a leash on Jo's collar. "Hopefully your nastiness will air out before Maura shows up. Come on let's get this over with."

By the time Jo was done and they had returned to the apartment, Jane felt an odd lightness from her head and shoulders. She stretched her back and uninjured arm, attempting to shake the feeling. Judging by the way it instead slowly spread to the rest of her body, Jane concluded that the pills were already starting to take effect.

_That's odd, it's only been about ten minutes. _Walking back into the kitchen, Jane had picked up the orange bottle of pain medication. _"Do not take on empty stomach."_ _Probably wasn't the best of ideas to take these before breakfast then._

Opening the fridge for something to eat, she quickly lost interest at what her mother's cooking had to offer. Everything looked too green, and all the green things were packed together with soup things. It looked like if she so much as nudged one of the items aside, everything would come tumbling out. Closing the fridge, Jane gave a small chuckle at the visual of her buried alive under a mountain of her mother's food for an unsuspecting Maura to stumble into.

It took Maura about fifteen minutes longer than she expected to arrive at Jane's apartment. There had apparently been a pile up on the freeway bad enough to require the detoured traffic to be routed through Jane's neighborhood. Knowing it was most likely in vein, Maura hoped beyond hope that Jane's medication hadn't kicked in yet. Angela had warned her that pain meds had a tendency to revert Jane into a fussy six year old who can't sit still.

Knocking on Jane's door, Maura waited for a response.

"It's open!"

Maura turned the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "Uh, are you sure about that?"

"Aw, damn it. That's right. Hang on –Ow! Shit!" Maura couldn't have gotten the key to Jane's door out faster as she flung open the door. Maura's panic was quickly replaced with exasperation and frustration. There Jane was, upside down on her couch. Her legs hooked around the back, with her back and shoulders resting on the seat. The wild mess of curls pooled on the ground as an upside down expression of embarrassment stared like a deer in the headlights.

"I uh, I tried to lean against the back of the couch and um. I might have forgotten how low the back of the couch is. And I may or may not have fallen backwards. And I sorta thought it was kinda comfortable so I may have been like this for the last ten minutes."

After recovering from her shock, Maura quickly went to help Jane sit upright.

"Jane, how could you have possibly- You could have really hurt yourself being upside down like that! What if all the blood rushed to your head and you passed out before I got here!? What if something broke loose in your shoulder!?"

Very gently, Maura helped support Jane's weight along her back, and guided her away from the couch so she had room to comfortably untangle her legs from the back of the couch.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think I was going to fall, and I had landed mostly on my left side, and it only twinged a little bit when I fell, but I promise it was cozy after it stopped hurting, but when you knocked on the door and I remembered that the door was locked, I forgot you had a key like Ma, and so I tried to get up, I really did, but it hurt when I tried to fall sideways, but I had to get the door for you, so I tried to slide down the couch the rest of the way, but that only hurt even more, and you were waiting out in the hallway and Icouldn'tfigureouthowtogetdownand-"

Maura had to cover Jane's mouth with her hand. If there was any hope that Jane's meds hadn't taken effect, it was certainly gone now. This sort of thing tended to happen when she was doped up and allowed free reign. Jane would do something that could potentially hurt herself, and when Maura scolded her, Jane would break down into a never ending sentence apologizing and trying to explain as fast as she could. The explanation would only start to get rushed out faster before it would escalate with Jane in tears, upset for making Maura mad, and only apologizing even more for crying and becoming even more embarrassed than before and apologizing for that as well.

The first time this had happened was a few months ago when Jane had dislocated her shoulder and was put in a sling for a week. Jane had tried to pull down one of the plates on the top shelf in the cupboard. She had lost her balance and brought the entire stack of plates crashing down onto the counter and floor. After a quick inspection to make sure Jane was unharmed, Maura had proceeded in scolding Jane in reaching for high objects, when she had no obvious control of her equilibrium. She started to panic a little when Jane's blurted explanation quickly turned into sobs and hyperventilated apologies, simply holding her friend until she had cried herself out and allowed Maura to help her to bed. She recounted the event to Angela afterword and was slightly confused when she was interrupted by the older woman laughing.

"My Jane would always get into everything when she was little. More often than not she would end up breaking something she wasn't supposed to be playing with in the beginning. She was always so curious, and would get so scared that I would be mad at her when she broke something, but bless her hart, she would never lie about it. So many days I would come home to a guilt faced little girl who would start rattling off before I even realized something was broken." Angela paused for a moment, laughing at the memory.

"First few times it happened, I admit I was so mad, I just stood there fuming as she went on and on, and if you kept quiet, it would only make her all the more upset over the situation. Once she would start crying, there was no consoling her. I found out the best way, was to get her to stop before she even got going. I wasn't kidding when I told you she goes back to being a six year old."

With Jane now sitting upright on the couch, and Maura kneeling on the floor with her hand still covering Jane's mouth, Maura implemented a technique she found that worked quite effectively in settling Jane down. Maura looked into Jane's watery eyes with the calmest and most serious expression she could muster. When she was sure Jane was paying attention, she smiled her biggest smile and laughed, showing Jane that she wasn't mad in the slightest. Feeling Jane smile beneath her hand, Maura brought it around to the back of Jane's head and brought their foreheads together so they were touching.

"You nut-ball."


	4. Chapter 4

***A few people have asked me when the change is going to happen. I really didn't expect it to take this long just to get to this point, but as I'm writing, I find things I want to add along the way. I've been busy trying to tie this chapter together, and was able to plot out the next few ahead of time, and I'm preeeety sure you can be expecting the change to come soon though.***

A week or so had gone by, and a bit of a routine had formed. Angela always stopped by first thing in the morning before work at the Café to pick up around the apartment, cook breakfast, and make sure Jane had done her morning stretches and taken her meds. Jane would have the majority of the day to herself, but was able to find one thing or another to keep her busy. That usually meant playing with Jo, watching TV and grumbling about the lack of greasy foods in her fridge.

Maura would come over after work to check up on Jane. Checking up always turned into staying for dinner, then to watching a movie, and on a few occasions, staying the night. However each day that she stopped by, Maura noticed something a little off about Jane.

After many nights of changing her friend's bandages, Maura became very familiar with the Detective's wounds. There were two types of injury visible to her shoulder. The first and most obvious was the straight line that the surgeons had cut across the front of Jane's collarbone and shoulder in order to reconstruct the broken and splintered bones. The other wounds had been deep punctures, caused by the wolf's canine fangs, making a distinctive arch underneath the collarbone, and an identical arch over the scapula. Both met at the juncture between Jane's neck and shoulder. There, at the juncture, the flesh had obviously been torn and scissored apart by the wolf's sharp carnivore molars, designed by evolution to tare and rip their prey's flesh from bone. As each day passed, Maura observed the beep black and blue bruising that surrounded each area of broken skin, turn into a pale, barely there, yellow.

It was healing, but Maura believed it wasn't healing at a normal pace. After it being about two weeks after the incident, the stitches had already been removed and the marks from the wolf's bite and the incisions the doctors had left, should at this point, stop scabbing over and be beginning to scar. However every time she checked it, the skin would still be irritated and leaking fluids. The wound didn't look to be infected and Maura saw no reason as to why it just wasn't healing.

Each time she would come over, it seemed like Jane would have less and less energy and always seemed to be uncomfortable in some way. Whenever Maura would ask about it, Jane would insist she was fine, and was just a little tired. Maura didn't press, and wrote it off as the exhausting healing process. However when Maura came over that night, Jane didn't look too good.

The second she walked in through the door, she noticed that Jane was lying on the couch, left arm flung over her eyes, appearing to be asleep. When she closed the door behind her, Jane had mumbled something. Still believing Jane was asleep, Maura didn't pay her much mind until the mumbling became louder and rather insistent. It took a few seconds before Maura realized that Jane was calling out to her.

"Maura," Alarmed by the strangled sound escaping from her friends mouth, Maura was by her side at an instant. "It hurts, Maur, everything hurts." The words were brokenly whimpered from clenched teeth, between panting breaths. The fingers of her left hand were constantly clenching and unclenching, the muscles in her forearm flexing with strain.

Trying her best to hide the fearful tremor in her voice, Maura shushed and cooed softly as she stroked her Detective's face, trying to calm her. She nearly jumped back out of shock when Jane's scalding cheek came into contact with her palm. Jane definitely had a fever of at least 103o. "How does it hurt, Jane? What does it feel like?"

"Like my whole body is cramping. Anything that moves or touches hurts like a bitch." Again, Jane spoke out from behind a clenched jaw. Each sentence was a harsh breath. Maura knew what had to have been the cause for this fever, and was terrified at how bad it was going to look.

She couldn't keep her voice from shaking as she asked, "Jane, sweetie? I need to look at your shoulder, okay? You need to sit up for me can you do that?" Maura had to repeat it several times, coaxing her along, before she started to move. Between the pain and her fever, Jane seemed to be slightly delirious. As she bent her uninured arm beneath her to push herself up. Her shaking seemed to wrack her whole body as she tried to support her own weight, her eyes scrunched together in effort. She only made it halfway before her arm gave out with a gasp. Maura had managed to loop her left arm around her friend's back to prevent her from falling all the way. Ever so gently, Maura looped her other arm around Jane's thighs and shifted them so her feet were resting on the floor. Propping Jane's left side up between the armrest and the back of the couch, Maura removed a pair of rubber gloves from her purse. She held her breath in anticipation as she moved to pull the sling off and removed the thick bandaging around Jane's shoulder.

The wound didn't look as bad as she was expecting, but it was still obviously infected. Her entire shoulder had swollen into a deep, shiny red, and was radiating heat. The area around the wound was puckered and yellowish with puss. Maura couldn't understand how it could have possibly gotten this infected, this fast. She had just changed the bandaging the night before, and she saw no signs of infection! She knew Jane would adamantly refuse to going to the hospital for this, so the only option she had was to take care of it herself. Maura steeled herself for what was to come. The process of cleaning a wound this infected was not going to be pleasant. For either of them.

Placing her hand on the side of Jane's neck to get her attention, Maura tried to tell Jane what the plan of action was. Her eyes still closed, she took the slight movement of Jane's head towards her as acknowledgement and continued on.

"Jane? You have an infection, sweetie. I'm going to need to clean this out before I bandage it. It's going to hurt. It's going to hurt really badly, alright? But we're going to get through this so you don't end up in the hospital again." Jane had deepened her grimace and gave a quick nod.

After fetching the overstocked first aid kit she insisted Jane keep in her bathroom, Maura retrieved the equipment she was going to need. A pair of tweezers, alcohol swabs, antiseptic ointment, Q-tips, a large needleless syringe filled with salt water, gauze, and fresh bandaging. Placing a clean towel over the coffee table, she removed each item from their sterile packaging, and laid them out next to Jane. Turning the Detective's head to her right, mostly to give her room to work and partially to spare Jane the visual, Maura took a deep breath before she began.

Using the tweezers to hold open the wound as Maura used her fingers to force out the puss and other infected fluids, she used up almost all of the gauze and a handful of Q-tips to wipe it away. The Doctor had made a point to focus on completing the task and to not look at Jane, knowing that the second she saw the pain written on Jane's face, she wouldn't be able to continue. Over half an hour went by on this process alone; Jane had become soaked in sweat and was practically quivering in agony by the time Maura finished.

"Almost done, Jane, I just need to disinfect the area and bandage it, and we're all done." Jane nearly sobbed in relief. Her pain tolerance had topped out within the first five minutes Maura had started and it was only going down from there.

Maura had changed her gloves and began flushing the infected area with the salt water, using the gauze to quickly dry the area afterword. The sting of the salt water was intense, but nearly welcome after the wounds had been pressed, squeezed and pinched for the better part of an hour. The alcohol swabs weren't even registered as they were swiped over the sensitive skin. Jane nearly laughed with the relief the antiseptic ointment brought as the Doctor smoothly spread an abundance of it over her skin with just the tips of her fingers, and gently put the clean bandaging in place.

"There. All done. I'll get you your pain killers and get you to bed." Jane was able to offer a small smile and a quiet hum in response. Her body wasn't throbbing quite as much anymore, but she was too exhausted to register much besides the fact that Maura was here and was making her better.

When Maura returned, she mentioned as Jane swallowed the pills and drank the full glass of water, "If your fever hasn't gone down by morning, or the infection doesn't look any better, you're going to the hospital." It was said with such finality; Jane knew not to argue, so she just nodded her head. She passed the now empty glass back to Maura and heard it clink as it was set down on the coffee table. She opened her eyes for the first time since before Maura arrived at her apartment, when she felt a cool damp cloth touch her cheek. Tired brown eyes watched as the blonde wiped the sweat from her cheeks and forehead. When the cloth was brought down to her neck, hazel eyes finally met brown with a warm, loving smile.

"Thanks, Maur," Jane mumbled.

"You're welcome, Jane." The Detective had held her gaze a few moments longer, just watching Maura smile. Memorizing that dimple, and the way those eyebrows came up above the bridge of her nose. There was nothing that could quite describe the color of those eyes. Hazel was too ordinary, no, there had to be a word out there to describe the intense green that blended inward to an almost reddish brown, with flecks of gold smattered throughout the iris. Her gaze was finally broken when Maura moved to stand up.

"Alright, let's get you to bed."

It took some time, but Maura was able to help Jane to her room and managed to maneuver her into some pajamas. As the blonde tucked her friend into bed, a sudden terrifying thought came to Jane.

"Are you leaving?"

"No, don't worry." Maura hushed. "I just have to clean up the living room, and I'll be right back."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Maura couldn't help the sweet smile that was reserved only for Jane. She lovingly swiped her fingers through long curls, tucking them behind an ear. "Get some sleep, Jane."

"Kay, g'night Maur." The brunet sleepily murmured as Maura moved to shut off the lights and close the door.

"Good night, Jane."

"Love you." It was spoken so softly, Maura almost didn't catch it, but it stopped her as she was just about to close the door.

"… I love you too, Jane." She whispered into the open gap of the door before closing it, but she was sure her friend was already asleep. After the door had clicked shut, she had turned and leaned against it. "I don't think you realize how much." Maura had whimpered before she allowed the tears to fall, and she slid to the floor outside of Jane's room.

*** The thing about motivation is that it's hard to come by if there are no motivators! Soooo many people have started following the story and it has me really excited and I'm so stoked that this story is getting **_**any **_**attention **_**at all**_**, but without reviews, I'm not sure how people are exactly reacting to it. Is it a story that you guys are excited to see when it updates and are anxiously waiting for the next chapter? Or is it just one of those things that you noticed happened to update, so you might as well take a look? If there is something you liked, let me know! If there is something you didn't like, let me know! If there is something you want to see in future chapters, let me know! Reviews are a sure fire way to get me to write more. It's like a little reminder that this thing is still here and people are waiting on it. So please, take a few seconds and review and let me know how I'm doing, just so I know where I'm at with this little tale.***


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